by Black Metal Jim
The worship of death is sincere in that while you can never prove the existence of a higher power, death lies behind every corner and is a reality so profound its worship has to find devout practitioners.
This is where Bone Awl arrive. Their music is reductive to a level unheard since Ildjarn, their lyrics abstract and violent. The artwork is unlike most Black Metal records in that its imagery is skewed and not obvious. Bone Awl are true black, true death and represent all that’s dying with a welcoming stomp. This is the purest hatred expressed in music in some time. There is no light, There is no hope, only death is certain and without hate we have nothing.
Download: Bone Awl - "Pendulum" [MP3]
Buy: Bone Awl - Meaningless Leaning Mess [Klaxon Records]
March 18, 2008
Black Metal Jim takes on Bone Awl
January 30, 2008
Black Metal Jim takes on Gorgoroth
As promised, here's the mysterious Black Metal Jim* with his take on Regain Records' recent CD/MP3 reissue of Gorgoroth's 1996 live 7" Live in Bergen (originally known as The Last Tormentor).
When Varg Vikernes went to jail for murder, Gorgoroth seemed more than happy to take Burzum's place as the European standard for Black Metal. While Gorgoroth had no problems waving the flag for hatred and death they lacked the conviction and force of Burzum, early Mayhem and other torchbearers.
This rather unnecessary CD reissues two live tracks from '96 which sound like crap but not in the good way. If yr a freak and you need to be a completist then I'm not gonna talk you out of it. But if your don't already own basically everything by Gravelands, Burzum and Deathspell Omega then you have a way to go before you start scraping the bottom of this barrel.
Gorgoroth - Live in Bergen 1996 [Amazon]
* Name has been changed to protect the guilty.
